Multi-purpose syringe

ABSTRACT

A multi-purpose syringe that may be used both for gravity feeding and syringe pump assisted feeding of a neonate is disclosed. The multi-purpose syringe includes a cap and a plunger. The cap and plunger may be selectively engaged to the barrel depending on whether the neonate is fed by gravity or syringe pump. The cap seals the top of the barrel but allows gas to pass between the inside of the barrel and the environment and traps liquid within the barrel. To this end, the cap has an aperture covered by a hydrophobic member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The embodiments disclosed herein relate to a syringe for feeding aneonate.

There are generally two methods for feeding a neonate. The first methodutilizes a syringe pump which meters out enteral fluid such as breastmilk and/or neonate formula to the neonate. The second method is agravity feed method wherein the syringe is filled with enteral fluid andheld above the neonate to allow gravity to draw the enteral fluid to theneonate.

In both methods, a feeding tube is inserted through the neonate's mouthor nose and into the neonate's stomach. The syringe is connected to thefeeding tube. A plunger of the syringe is retracted to check forresidual fluid in the neonate's stomach. After residual fluid ischecked, residual fluid is pushed back into the stomach of the neonate.Enteral fluid such as breast milk and/or neonate formula is then pouredinto the syringe. If the neonate is fed with the assistance of a syringepump, a plunger is inserted into the back end of the syringe and thesyringe is mounted to the syringe pump. The syringe pump is programmedwith the amount of fluid and feeding time then started. After theneonate is fed, the plunger is removed from the feeding syringe toprepare the syringe for venting. A small gauze pad is disposed in theback end of a barrel of the syringe. The barrel is then connected to thefeeding tube to begin the venting process wherein gas within theneonate's stomach is allowed to escape, but reflux fluid is retainedwithin the barrel of the feeding syringe. The gauze pad retains thereflux fluid in the syringe, but does so ineffectively. In this example,the syringe must always be held above the level of the neonate, sinceplacing the feeding syringe below the level of the neonate would causethe reflux fluid to spill out of the barrel. Additionally, even if thesyringe is held above the neonate, the gauze pad is a clumsy method ofretaining reflux fluid in the syringe. As such, reflux fluid may stillspill out of the syringe and cause a mess.

For gravity feeding, the barrel with the enteral fluid filled therein isheld above the neonate. Unfortunately, the barrel is exposed to theenvironment and susceptible to contamination from airborne particulate.Moreover, during the venting process, the same problem with spillage ofreflux fluid arises as described above in relation to the syringe pumpassisted feeding process described above.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved feeding syringe.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The feeding syringe described herein addresses the needs discussedabove, discussed below and those that are known in the art.

The feeding syringe may have a cap that is removably attachable to abarrel of the syringe. The cap forms a seal that allows gas to passthrough an aperture formed in the cap, but does not allow liquid to passthrough the aperture due to a hydrophobic member that covers theaperture. The feeding syringe may be used for both gravity feeding andsyringe pump assisted feeding. In gravity feeding, a plunger of thesyringe is removed from a barrel. The cap is engaged to the top of thebarrel. With enteral fluid disposed within the barrel and the capengaged to the barrel, a feeding syringe is held above the neonate whilethe enteral fluid is gravity fed into the neonate's stomach through afeeding tube. The cap prevents contamination of the enteral fluid. Forsyringe pump assisted feeding, the cap is removed or displaced out ofthe way. A plunger is disposed in the barrel. With enteral fluiddisposed in the barrel of the syringe, the syringe is then mounted tothe syringe pump which pushes the plunger into the barrel at apredefined rate to flow enteral fluid into the neonate by way of thefeeding tube. Also, during a venting process for both gravity and pumpfeeding, no gauze pad is needed. The cap has a hydrophobic filter toprevent reflux enteral fluid from spilling out of the barrel but allowsgas to pass through the aperture during the venting process.Additionally, the syringe does not necessarily have to be elevated abovethe neonate during the venting process. The multi-purpose feedingsyringe may perform all three processes, namely, check for residualenteral fluid, feeding and venting. The multi-purpose feeding syringemay also be used in the gravity feed method or syringe pump assistedmethod. Accordingly, the multi-purpose syringe reduces the chance ofcontaminating the enteral fluid and reduces inventory needs forhospitals which reduces costs.

More particularly, a multi-purpose syringe capable of feeding a neonateby gravity or with assistance of a syringe pump is disclosed. Thesyringe may comprise a barrel, a plunger, finger tabs, a cap and ahydrophobic filter. The barrel may define an output and an entrance. Theplunger may slide within the barrel for forcing enteral fluid out of theoutput into the neonate. The plunger may be removably disposable in thebarrel. Finger tabs may be disposed adjacent to the entrance of thebarrel for assisting a user in depressing the plunger into the barrel.One of the finger tabs may have a hinge. The cap is removably attachableto the hinge and the entrance of the barrel. When the cap is attached tothe entrance of the barrel, the cap may be pivoted between a closedposition wherein the cap seals the entrance of the barrel and an openedposition wherein the cap is displaced away from the entrance of thebarrel. The cap may have an aperture for allowing gas to communicatebetween the barrel and an environment. The hydrophobic filter elementmay be disposed over the aperture of the cap for allowing gas to passtherethrough and provide a liquid barrier between the barrel and theenvironment.

The plunger may be removed from the barrel and the cap attached to thehinge. The cap may be pivoted to the closed position during gravityfeeding. An outer periphery of the cap may be sealed to an innerperiphery of the entrance of the barrel to seal the entrance of thebarrel when the cap is disposed in the closed position. Alternatively,the plunger may be disposed within the barrel and the cap either pivotedto the opened position or removed from the hinge during feeding withassistance of the syringe pump.

The hinge may be a round cross member integrated into at least one ofthe finger tabs. The cap may have a clip with a cylindrical cavity thatis engageable to the round cross member for pivoting the cap between theclosed and opened positions. The round cross member may define a centralaxis along a length of the round cross member. The central axis of theround cross member may be transverse to a central axis of the barrelwherein the central axis of the barrel is along a length of the barrel.The cylindrical cavity of the clip may have an open end for removablyattaching the clip to the round cross member. The cap may have a latchremovably engagable to the barrel of the syringe for locking the cap inthe closed position. A lip of the latch is removably engageable to anedge of one of the finger tabs.

Alternatively, the finger tab may incorporate a clip with a cylindricalcavity integrated into at least one of the finger tabs. The cap may havea round cross member that is engageable to the cylindrical cavity of theclip for pivoting the cap between the closed and opened positions. Inthis instance, the cylindrical cavity of the clip may define a centralaxis along a length of the cylindrical cavity. The central axis of thecylindrical cavity may be transverse to a central axis of the barrelwherein the central axis of the barrel is along a length of the barrel.The cylindrical cavity of the clip has an open end for removablyattaching the clip to the round cross member.

Additionally, a method for feeding a neonate with a multi-purposesyringe capable of feeding a neonate by gravity or syringe pump isdisclosed. The method may comprise the steps of inserting an enteralfeeding tube into a neonate; pulling on a plunger of the syringe tocheck for residual liquid within the stomach of the neonate; pushingback the residual liquid into the stomach of the neonate; filling thesyringe with enteral liquid; engaging the syringe to a syringe pump;feeding the neonate; after feeding, disposing a cap onto an entrance ofthe syringe to seal the entrance of the syringe; allowing gas to flowthrough a hydrophobic filter integrated into the cap and trapping refluxliquid within the barrel.

The disposing the cap step may include the step of engaging a clip ofthe cap to a round cross member incorporated in a finger tab of thebarrel.

Moreover, a method for feeding a neonate with a multi-purpose syringecapable of feeding a neonate by gravity or syringe pump is disclosed.The method may comprise the steps of inserting an enteral feeding tubeinto a neonate; pulling on a plunger of the syringe to check forresidual liquid within the stomach of the neonate; pushing back theresidual liquid into the stomach of the neonate; removing a plunger froma barrel of the syringe; filling the syringe with enteral liquid;disposing a cap onto an entrance of the syringe to seal the entrance ofthe syringe; after disposing the cap step, feeding the neonate; afterthe feeding step, allowing gas to flow through a hydrophobic filterintegrated into the cap and trapping reflux liquid within the barrel.

The feeding step may include the step of disposing the filled syringeabove the neonate to allow gravity to flow enteral fluid into theneonate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like partsthroughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a syringe;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a syringe for feeding a neonate with theassistance of a syringe pump;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a first embodiment of a cap in an openposition with respect to the barrel shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cap detached from the barrel shownin FIG. 3;

FIG. 4A is a second embodiment of an attachment mechanism for removablyattaching the cap and the barrel;

FIG. 4B is a third embodiment of the cap and barrel having a livinghinge;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a syringe with a plunger insertedtherein with the plunger in a retracted position;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cap and barrel shown in FIG. 1;and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the syringe and plunger shown in FIG. 5with the plunger in a depressed state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, the multi-purpose syringe may be used tofeed a neonate 12 by way of gravity as shown in FIG. 1 or with theassistance of a syringe pump 14 as shown in FIG. 2. The multi-purposesyringe 10 includes a cap 16 that may seal off an entrance 18 (see FIG.3) of a barrel 20 of the multi-purpose syringe 10. When the cap 16 sealsoff the entrance 18 of the barrel 20, gas 22 (see FIG. 1) is allowed topass through an aperture 24 formed in the cap 16. The aperture 24 iscovered with a hydrophobic member 26 (see FIG. 3) to provide a liquidbarrier between the interior of the barrel 20 and an environment 28 yetallow gas to pass therethrough. During gravity feeding, enteral fluid(e.g. breast milk or neonate formula) is poured into the barrel 20 andfed to the neonate by way of gravity. Air is introduced into the barrel20 through aperture 24 to permit gravity feeding during the gravityfeeding process. For syringe pump 14 assisted feeding, the cap 16 may beremoved from the barrel 20 as shown in FIG. 4. Enteral fluid is pouredinto the barrel 20 and a plunger 30 is inserted into the barrel 20 asshown in FIG. 5. The syringe 10 is mounted to the syringe pump 14 shownin FIG. 2 which then feeds the neonate 12. After feeding, the syringe 10may be removed from the syringe pump 14 and the cap 16 may be placedback on the barrel 20 to seal off the entrance 18, as shown in FIG. 1.At this point, for both the gravity feeding process and the syringe pumpassisted feeding process, venting is allowed to remove gas from theneonate. Gas passes through the hydrophobic filter 26 but traps refluxfluid in the barrel 20. Although the syringe 10 is preferably held abovethe neonate, it is not necessary.

Accordingly, the multi-purpose syringe 10 may be used for both gravityfeeding as well as syringe pump 14 assisted feeding. Moreover, thesyringe 10 may be used to check for residual fluid, feeding, and forventing after feeding without creating a mess from spilled refluxenteral fluid since the cap 16 and hydrophobic filter 26 trap theliquid/reflux fluid in the barrel 20, but allow gas to pass through thehydrophobic filter 26 and aperture 24. Additionally, the syringe doesnot need to be elevated above the neonate since the cap 16 andhydrophobic filter 26 are effective at trapping the liquid in the barreland allowing gas to pass therethrough during the venting process.Moreover, as will be further discussed below, the multi-purpose syringemay be used to check for residual fluid, perform feeding and venting.Since one syringe does all three processes, there is a reducedopportunity for contaminating the enteral liquid and infecting theneonate. Lastly, the multi-purpose syringe reduces inventoryrequirements and reduces cost since one syringe 10 may be used formultiple purposes.

More particularly, the cap 16 is removably attachable to the barrel 20as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The cap incorporates a clip 32 that has acylindrical cavity 34. The cylindrical cavity 34 defines a central axis36 that extends lengthwise through the cylindrical cavity 34. The barrel20 has finger tabs 38. The finger tabs 38 are used to assist indepressing the plunger 30 further into the barrel 20 when needed. One ofthe finger tabs 38 may incorporate a round cross member 40 which definesa hinge. The round cross member 40 also has a central axis 42 thatextends along a length of the round cross member 40. The round crossmember 40 is positioned on the finger tab 38 so that its central axis 42is perpendicular to a central axis 44 of the barrel 20. The central axis44 extends along the length of the barrel 20. The round cross member 40is positioned so that its central axis 42 does not intersect the centralaxis 44 of the barrel 20. The round cross member 40 is sized andconfigured to fit within the cylindrical cavity 34 as shown in FIG. 6.The clip 32 preferably circumscribes the round cross member 40 more than180° so that tangs 46 of the clip 32 must spread open in order to insertor remove the round cross member 40 in or out of the cylindrical cavity34. Once the clip 32 is attached to the round cross member 40, pressureis required to remove the cap 16 from the barrel 20 and cannot beremoved by gravity alone. To form the round cross member 40, one of thefinger tabs 38 may have an aperture 48 (see FIGS. 4 and 6). The roundcross member 40 may extend across the aperture 48 and be positioned asdescribed above.

Other ways of removably attaching the cap 16 to the barrel 20 are alsocontemplated. By way of example and not limitation, the round crossmember 40 may be formed on the cap 16 and the clip 32 may be formed onone of the finger tabs 38, as shown in FIG. 4A. Additionally, it iscontemplated that the cap 16 may be permanently attached to the fingertab 38 by way of a living hinge 45, as shown in FIG. 4B.

The cap 16 may be pivoted about the round cross member 40 to the closedposition (see FIG. 6) and locked in that position. To this end, the cap16 may have a latch 50 which engages the other one of the finger tabs38. In particular, the latch 50 has a lip 52 that engages an edge 54 ofthe finger tab 38. The latch 50 is flexible so that the lip 52 is biasedagainst the edge 54 when the cap 16 is in the closed position. To removeor pivot the cap 16 to the open position (see FIG. 3), the user liftsthe latch 50 in the direction of arrow 56 to bend the latch 50 and cap16 and displace the lip 52 away from the edge 54. Once the lip 52 isclear from the edge 54, the user may pivot or rotate the cap 16 aboutthe round cross member 40 to the opened position. Once the cap 16 is inthe opened position, the user may move the cap 16 out of the way (seeFIG. 3) or remove the cap 16 from the barrel 20, as shown in FIG. 4,with the application of force to remove the round cross member 40 fromthe cylindrical cavity 34 of the clip 32.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the hydrophobic filter 26 covers the aperture24 so that gas but not liquid passes between the inside of the barrel 20and the environment 28. The cap 16 also prevents spillage of fluid (e.g.gas and liquid) from the outer perimeter 58 of the entrance 18 of thebarrel 20. The cap 16 has a cylindrical flange 60 which is shown inFIGS. 4 and 6. The cylindrical flange 60 is pressed against an innersurface of the barrel 20. In particular, an outer diameter of thecylindrical flange 60 may be equal to or slightly greater than the innerdiameter of the barrel 20. As the cap 16 is being disposed in the closedposition, the entire circumference of the cylindrical flange 60 contactsand provides an air and fluid tight seal with the inner surface of thebarrel 20. Accordingly, no fluid such as gas or liquid is allowed toescape out of the barrel 20 from the outer perimeter 58 of the entrance18. The hydrophobic filter 26 is secured to a mount 62. The mount 62 mayhave an aperture 64 which is covered by the hydrophobic member 26. Themount 62 additionally has a flange 66 which is connected to a flange 68of the cap 16. The flange 66 may be sealed and secured to the flange 68by way of adhesive, mechanical fastening or sonic welding.

In use, the syringe is used to feed a neonate by gravity or with theassistance of a syringe pump 14. To utilize the multi-purpose syringe 10with the syringe pump 14, a feeding tube 70 (see FIG. 2) is insertedinto the stomach of the neonate 12. The syringe 10 is connected to thefeeding tube 70 with the plunger 30 in the depressed position as shownin FIG. 7. With the syringe 10 connected to the feeding tube 70, theplunger 30 is retracted to check for residual enteral liquid in theneonate's stomach 12. After checking for residual enteral fluid, theresidual enteral fluid is pushed back into the stomach of the neonate12. To feed the neonate with a syringe pump 14, the syringe 10 isremoved from the feeding tube 70. An extension tube 72 (see FIG. 2) isconnected to the feeding tube 70. The syringe 10 is filled with enteralfluid. The plunger 30 is disposed within the barrel 20 of the syringe10. The cap 16 may be moved out of the way (see FIG. 3) or removed fromthe barrel 20 (see FIG. 4). The syringe 10 is connected to the extensiontube 72 and mounted to the syringe pump 14 as shown in FIG. 2. Thesyringe pump 14 is programmed to traverse the plunger 30 of the syringe10 at a certain rate depending on the neonate 12. During feeding, alever 74 (see FIG. 2) of the syringe pump 14 pushes the plunger 30 intothe barrel 20 at a certain predefined rate until the prescribed amountof enteral fluid is dispensed and fed into the neonate 12. After theneonate 12 is fed, the operator may remove the plunger 30 from thebarrel 20 and place the cap 16 back on the barrel 20. The cap 16 is thentraversed to the closed position (see FIG. 6). At this point, theventing process may begin. Preferably, the syringe 10 is held above theelevation of the neonate 12. The syringe 10 may be elevated above theneonate 12 to prevent reflux fluid from escaping out of the syringe 10.However, elevating the syringe 10 above the neonate is not necessary.The cap 16 is sealed against the entrance of the barrel 20. The cap 16has an aperture covered with a hydrophobic filter which allows thepassage of gas but not liquid therethrough. The reflux fluid is trappedwithin the syringe 10 even if the syringe 10 is held below the level ofthe neonate 12 during venting.

To feed the neonate 12 by gravity with the multi-purpose syringe 10,residual enteral fluid is checked and pushed back into the neonate 12 asdiscussed above. The plunger 30 is removed from the barrel 20. Also,enteral fluid is filled into the barrel of the syringe. The cap 16 isplaced over the entrance 18 of the barrel 20 to seal off the barrel 20,as shown in FIG. 1. The syringe 10 is raised above the level of theneonate to allow gravity to draw enteral fluid in the barrel 20 into thestomach of the neonate 12. Air is allowed to pass through the aperture24 of the cap 16 and through the hydrophobic member 26. Othercontaminants are prevented from entering the interior of the barrel 20because the cap 16 seals off and prevents entrance of any contaminantsinto the barrel 20. The syringe 10 may be hung on a stand so that thesyringe 10 is located about 8 to 10 inches above the neonate 12 duringgravity feeding. After the feeding process, the syringe 10 is left inplace until the venting process is completed. During the ventingprocess, gas or air is allowed to escape through the aperture 24 of thecap 16 but reflux fluid is trapped within the barrel 20 since liquidsuch as reflux fluid is not allowed to pass through the aperture 24 ofthe cap 16 due to the hydrophobic member 26. Preferably, the syringe 10is held above the elevation of the neonate 12 but may be laid below theelevation of the neonate 12 since reflux fluid will be trapped withinthe barrel 20 by the cap 16 but gas allowed to pass through thehydrophobic member 26.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation.Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devisevariations that are within the scope and spirit of the inventiondisclosed herein, including various ways of fabricating the barrel.Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can beused alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are notintended to be limited to the specific combination described herein.Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustratedembodiments.

1. A multi-purpose syringe capable of feeding a neonate by gravity orwith assistance of a syringe pump, the syringe comprising: a barreldefining an output and an entrance; a plunger slidable within the barrelfor forcing enteral fluid out of the output into the neonate, theplunger being removably disposable in the barrel; finger tabs disposedadjacent to the entrance of the barrel for assisting a user indepressing the plunger into the barrel, one of the finger tabs having ahinge; a cap removably attachable to the entrance of the barrel, the capbeing pivotable between a closed position wherein the cap seals theentrance of the barrel and an opened position wherein the cap isdisplaced away from the entrance of the barrel, the cap having anaperture for allowing gas to communicate between the barrel and anenvironment; a hydrophobic filter element disposed over the aperture ofthe cap for allowing gas to pass therethrough and providing a liquidbarrier between the barrel and the environment; wherein the plunger isremoved from the barrel and the cap is attached to the hinge and pivotedto the closed position during gravity feeding and the plunger isdisposed within the barrel and the cap either pivoted to the openedposition or removed from the hinge during feeding with assistance of thesyringe pump.
 2. The syringe of claim 1 wherein an outer periphery ofthe cap is sealed to an inner periphery of the entrance of the barrel toseal the entrance of the barrel when the cap is disposed in the closedposition.
 3. The syringe of claim 1 wherein the hinge is a round crossmember integrated into at least one of the finger tabs, and the cap hasa clip with a cylindrical cavity that is engagable to the round crossmember for pivoting the cap between the closed and opened positions. 4.The syringe of claim 3 wherein the round cross member defines a centralaxis along a length of the round cross member, the central axis of theround cross member being transverse to a central axis of the barrelwherein the central axis of the barrel is along a length of the barrel.5. The syringe of claim 3 wherein the cylindrical cavity of the clip hasan open end for removably attaching the clip to the round cross member.6. The syringe of claim 1 wherein the cap has a latch removablyengageable to the barrel of the syringe for locking the cap in theclosed position.
 7. The syringe of claim 6 wherein a lip of the latch isremovably engageable to an edge of one of the finger tabs.
 8. Thesyringe of claim 1 wherein the finger tab incorporates a clip with acylindrical cavity integrated into at least one of the finger tabs, andthe cap has a round cross member that is engageable to the cylindricalcavity of the clip for pivoting the cap between the closed and openedpositions.
 9. The syringe of claim 8 wherein the cylindrical cavity ofthe clip defines a central axis along a length of the cylindricalcavity, the central axis of the cylindrical cavity being transverse to acentral axis of the barrel wherein the central axis of the barrel isalong a length of the barrel.
 10. The syringe of claim 8 wherein thecylindrical cavity of the clip has an open end for removably attachingthe clip to the round cross member.
 11. A method for feeding a neonatewith a multi-purpose syringe capable of feeding a neonate by gravity orsyringe pump, the method comprising the steps of: inserting an enteralfeeding tube into a neonate; pulling on a plunger of the syringe tocheck for residual liquid within the stomach of the neonate; pushingback the residual liquid into the stomach of the neonate; filling thesyringe with enteral liquid; engaging the syringe to a syringe pump;feeding the neonate; after feeding, disposing a cap onto an entrance ofthe syringe to seal the entrance of the syringe; allowing gas to flowthrough a hydrophobic filter integrated into the cap; and trappingreflux liquid within the barrel.
 12. The method of claim 6 wherein thedisposing the cap step includes the step of engaging a clip of the capto a round cross member incorporated into a finger tab of the barrel.13. A method for feeding a neonate with a multi-purpose syringe capableof feeding a neonate by gravity or syringe pump, the method comprisingthe steps of: inserting an enteral feeding tube into a neonate; pullingon a plunger of the syringe to check for residual liquid within thestomach of the neonate; pushing back the residual liquid into thestomach of the neonate; removing a plunger from a barrel of the syringe;filling the syringe with enteral liquid; disposing a cap onto anentrance of the syringe to seal the entrance of the syringe; afterdisposing the cap step, feeding the neonate; after the feeding step,allowing gas to flow through a hydrophobic filter integrated into thecap; and trapping reflux liquid within the barrel.
 14. The method ofclaim 13 wherein the feeding step includes the step of disposing thefilled syringe above the neonate.